Emelia Adler
|caption = "Fuck off."}} A young woman with little regard for social mores of Vanius, Em is a foul-mouthed, temperamental adventurer continuing the works of her family's archaeological studies and research. Collecting anything of significance on the Deadlands, Em documents the last traces of life before the Flock as she works to preserve the previous world and discover exactly why the cataclysms have targeted it. Having lived on the Flock for ten years and counting, Em has managed to settle herself into a comfortable lifestyle in Recraedes; between her research, exploring the Deadlands, and close friend Copper, there's little time where she's managed to find herself with free time or lacking entertainment of some kind. Personality and Appearance Em is foul-mouthed, crude, and easily irritated, choosing to pepper her conversations with various curses and rude terms. Though hardly a friendly face at first, given enough time she's been known to warm up to some, granted, her prickly exterior remains no matter how close one seems to get. Despite her language, she's an intelligent, well-written youth with years of archaeological study and practice under her belt. To Emelia's knowledge - through stories before bed - the Tiefling blood of demons and devils that runs through her appeared generations ago- a man trapped within a treasure-filled cave where a disguised succubus seduced him into the Abyss. When the offspring decided to venture to the material plane is unknown, but he spread his demon blood just as the succubus. Through decades and centuries, Emelia came into existence- though watered down in her Tiefling heritage, the woman is adorned with a pair of small, elegant black horns on the head, eyes red in hue, and hair of an unnaturally deep purple. To keep herself inconspicuous on the Flock she wears a pair of thick, round spectacles with lenses that serve no function, and has grown out her bangs to cover her horns. In her younger years, she wore a bandana - having had no bangs before boarding the Flock. Family and Early Life Born within a long line of explorers, adventurers, and those with the taint of the Tiefling, Emelia Adler is the only child of Anneliese and Isaac. Historians and archeologists, they pride themselves on their past; Emelia learned not only the blood of her family, but also the life and the ways of an explorer. Her mother and father spent years searching deep in caves and digging through layers of history to discover what they'd collected. After having a child, Anneliese took charge of their knowledge- writing books, drawing sketches, and publishing essays and papers on what they discovered. Isaac continued the brunt work, bringing back whatever he found - forming quite a considerable collection of pots, armor, books, and various other artifacts unveiled in the deep of the city's ruins. Together, the two founded Adler Archaeology, a joint name for their published works which later included Emelia's skill aside the husband and wife. One favorite find of Isaac's was none other than Lento - a sentient skeleton seemingly controlled by magic, but somehow with no owner. Though meaning no harm, Isaac followed it and somehow - he's long since refused to tell Emelia or Anneliese the details- convinced the skeleton to come to their home and become a permanent member of the family. One surprising trait Lento obtains is the ability of flight- by moving its arms in a fast enough rotation it can gradually bring itself into the air and descend just the same way. Both Emelia's parents, and Emelia to a large extent once she joins the Flock, used Lento's ability to reach deep and far areas they once could not reach. The family lived without worry for food or shelter, though the lives they lived were not luxurious, the Alder's had no reason to struggle for a meal each night. Anneliese doted on her daughter, giving the love her own mother refused to give. Through the times of explorations, studies, and affection, Emelia was never unsatisfied with the life placed before her. Boarding the Flock It was only when news of the decaying land spread that Em's life began going downhill. Isaac and Annaliese, too intrigued with the cause of the world falling apart before them, prepared much later than they should have - only working to leave when news of volunteers rescuing citizens was mere hours away. When the Flock arrived in their area, Emelia's mother told her to go with Lento. Though she protested, the woman turned away to shove books, talismans, bones, and anything she and Isaac could reach into bags, sacks, and suitcases. Emelia's protests caught their attention enough that her mother grabbed her shoulders, gave her a kiss on the forehead and smoothed out her hair to cover the small horns perched upon her scalp - barely, but enough to keep her from catching wandering eyes. 'We love you, Emelia. Now please, go.' As the last words Emelia heard, vision clouded by tears, Lento began to move and tug Emelia along with a strength her twelve-year old self couldn't fight against, though she tried. Turning her head back towards her home she saw her mother turn to resume packing just as her father, not bothering to shut the door in her haste. Once boarded, Emelia stayed at the same area she had been picked up, and waited. Time passed slowly, though the darkness surrounding the land seemed to move faster and faster- her eyes stayed locked on a small home with a roof almost shining in what little sunlight it caught. Her home was still safe, and her parents would be with her soon, she thought. Eventually, the darkness passed over her home just as it did the others and Emelia watched as her life was consumed before her eyes. When the Flock began to move, Emelia broke down sobbing, Lento the only source of comfort for her. With a decade passed, Emelia has long since taken on the nickname Em, and has collected nothing more than a fraction of what her mother and father used to have. Living as her father did, Em vows to re-form the lost collection they once had and discover the history behind the new items, along with the reason for her crumbling world. Her obsession with her deceased mother and father led to a serious case of Archaeophilia, forcing her to place all her attention on any magical or mundane artifact that catches her eye lest she be able to control herself. She works with those on the Flock, collecting trinkets, artifacts, and people desperately trying to find salvation against the dying world. Meeting Copper Three years after boarding the Flock, Em took up work as a volunteer in the hopes she would be able to visit the Deadlands and begin rebuilding her family's collection. With the desire obvious, she'd been denied access to the descending platforms, instead stationed to more lethargic work, including documenting all new passengers on the Flock. Begrudgingly sticking to her duty, Em eventually met a young Copper Langston, both only fifteen at the time. Introducing himself in a rather flirtatious way, he proceeded to shove himself at the girl. While not exactly enjoying the attention, Em didn't despise it - honestly appreciating that someone felt like trying unlike those who she had snapped at once and never heard from again. Through a series of events Em would have earlier described as unfortunate, she was granted access to the Deadlands on one condition: that she pair up with Copper to keep both of them safe, and keep her from putting all of her attention on the items below. She accepted, angry at the compromise, but thankful for the chance. The duo continually ventured downwards, gradually growing closer - Copper the first person on the Flock to discover her long-since hidden horns (albeit by accident through a head injury), full name, and Tiefling heritage. As the years passed, the two eventually became lovers, both feeling no need to be vocal about the relationship, but it's easy to see under certain circumstances. Meeting the Party Once again descending to the Deadlands with Copper, the Flock stopped in Hackledown, Em and Copper first encounter Aulkar Winterpeak in a broken-down laboratory while searching for Recorium and expensive goods. Venturing the building together the trio then met Sudigue'sharath in a capsule elevator in the middle of combat with three imps. Em joined the fight, Sudi proving himself to be...less than diligent with his weapon and Em making quick work of the tiny demons. Alan Highstone soon made his appearance, clubbing a beast that sneaked up on the current party; his cleric powers healed Copper's critical wounds, Em grateful for the magic. The other members of the party, Algus Sturm and Lucien joined the party in a massive battle in the lab's main chambers - inside a capsule elevator opposite Em and the others. After combat with imps, a devil Rro'Dalgo, and another by the name of Sai, the group eventually returned to the platforms ascending to the Flock. Within a few words, they had compiled themselves into a group, slowly integrating with each other. Though they've meshed nicely, Em's trust of the group is less than substantial, keeping herself at a distance for the early encounters. Category:Player Characters Category:Flock Category:Cycle One